reign_cwfandomcom-20200215-history
Catherine de' Medici
'Catherine de' Medici '(Italian: Caterina de' Medici) is the Queen Consort of France. She is the wife of Henry and the mother of six children: Francis, Charles, Henry Jr., Elizabeth, Claude, and Clarissa. She is also the mother-in-law of Philip II and Mary Stuart, and the future mother-in-law of Madeleine. She is portrayed by Canadian actress Megan Follows. Early Life Catherine was born into the extremely wealthy Italian House of Medici in Florence. Her parents died of illness when she was young and she was a ward of Pope Clement VII, her first cousin, once removed. When she was eight, the citizens of Florence rebelled against the Medici, storming the palace where Catherine lived. She was taken hostage and held in a convent for several years, eventually being threatened with rape as a way of spoiling her marriage value for her family. Together with the nuns, she prayed for salvation by the Pope's armies. Eventually she was rescued and embraced by Clement before being taken to Rome. It is unclear if she was actually raped or not.Left Behind At age fourteen, Catherine was married to Henry, the second son of the previous King of France. Apparently, Henry chose her over her cousin, Hortensa.Higher Ground Catherine and Henry were initially in love, but Catherine was unaware that Henry was already, also in love with Diane de Poitiers. Over time, Catherine feared being repudiated because she had not produced an heir, so she consulted doctors and coerced Henry into taking different, unpleasant remedies.Inquisition During this time, Catherine had an affair with Richard, and had a baby girl with him, who became the castle 'ghost', Clarissa. To avoid questions about the baby's distinguishing birthmark, she gave the baby to Nostradamus' father.Inquisition Some time later, she gave birth to Francis. Season One Personality As horrible as she may seem, she is also very caring towards her children. She even goes so far as to ruin Mary to save her son Francis from death. But she is also somewhat manipulative, and will do whatever it takes if there's something in it for her in the end. Physical Appearance Catherine is strawberry blonde with brown eyes. Her hair is curly. She is quite short and likes the color red. Relationships Appearances Trivia *Her full name was Caterina Maria Romula di Lorenzo de' Medici. *The "de' Medici"'s were a powerful Itallian family in the 15th century. She was a noblewoman. *Diane de Poitiers (Her husband's mistress) and Catherine were actually cousins. *In the show Catherine has a bastard daughter Clarissa but historically there is no evidence of her. *In reality, Catherine was in love with Henri since meeting him when they married and it is highly unlikely she ever had an affair due to the fact royals did not have private lives. *The real Catherine was a distant, if indulgent, mother when her children were young, and their care was actually overseen by Diane de Poitiers who employed the governers. There is debate as to why, but it may be to do with the way royal children were raised at the time and also due to Henry's reliance on, and love for, Diane. *Catherine served as official regent for her son Charles IX whilst he was a child, and later Henry III whilst he was coming back from Poland where he'd been elected King. *She died at the age of 69 years. *In Royal Blood, it is shown she and Henry have another daughter called Claude. *As cruel as she looks she would do anything for her children. *She relies on Nostradamus and believes his prophesies. *The story of Catherine's imprisonment by Florence is historically true. She spent several years held in a convent when Florence rebelled against the Medici. The leaders of Florence even discussed having her raped so she would lose political value as a marriage pawn, or having her killed by lowering her over the walls in a basket where she would be fired upon. Neither thing happened as she was ultimately deemed too valuable. Notes Gallery Category:Main Character Category:Character Category:Season One Category:Female Category:Queen Category:Antagonists Category:Help Needed Category:Royal Category:French Category:Italian Category:Incomplete Category:Reign